Welcome to my 2026 project honoring the first quarter of the 21st century. In this extremely lax project I watch a movie from each year to hopefully give myself some insight with what has changed within cinema during this century. At the very least I’ll have watched 25 interesting films and paired them with a dinner inspired by the movie, the place its from, and maybe a little bit of nostalgia for the past 25 years. You can watch along with me or find out what’s up next by checking out the full list of movies.
Today’s feature is from the year 2010, we are headed to Brazil to inexplicably gain sentience…
Movie: Reflexões de um Liquidificador [Reflections of a Blender]
Year: 2010
Director: André Klotzel
Country: Brazil
The Elevator Pitch: After a recent repair a blender at a fruit stand accidentally gains sentience. When the stand closes, the woman who owns the stand takes him home and they begin a unique relationship.
How Was the Movie?:
You would think from the description that this movie is either completely played for laughs or that this is a 5 minute sketch accidentally stretched out into an excruciating long film but thankfully, it is actually surprisingly good. The movie follows along with the musings of a blender who is not just witnessing the events in the film, but for the first time ever, experiencing life.
The film confronts us with what it is to switch between passively experiencing events to actively engaging in them as the blender learns about its own existence and then witnesses the lives of people around it. At no point does the blender jump off the counter and grow legs though instead of it existence is a difficult one of being able to observe but not actively influence. By the end of the movie it is very difficult to tell, despite being our narrator, if the blender is really alive and thinking or if we too are having some kind of delusion. Some reflection of our own sentience.
This movie is part mystery, part comedy, and part delusion but I will leave all of that up for others to find since it’s only about 70 minutes long.
Overall I really liked this film and thought it was actually quite clever even though I guessed it pretty much beat for beat. The main actress and the voice of the blender are doing a lot of great work to bring the film to life and there is an unbeatable moment in the middle of the film that makes the entire thing worth watching for yourself. Maybe I was a little primed to enjoyed just this kind of film though because I loved Brave Little Toaster a child but it’s worth going out of your way to watch it.
What was for Dinner?:
Because my husband loves peanut sauces I made Frango com Manteiga de Amendoim but I have to confess to you that I personally do not love peanut sauces so this was just kind of a middling experience for me. Thankfully it went over better than most things with peanuts in it. I really hate peanut butter cookies and I don’t even like satay sauce or sambal kacang, despite liking peanuts (?) and loving peanut butter (??). I’m weird about apples in dishes also so I guess this is my personal damage but anyway, I ate a full dinner of this one. I guess the other flavors of chili, limes, coconut milk, and seasonings helped off-set the thick peanut flavor. I personally wouldn’t make this again but if you’re a peanuts in food fan I would recommend because the peanuts give it an earthy, thick, and extra creamy flavor.
I would absolutely suggest going a little crazy with how many salted peanuts you eat with the movie though 🙂
That’s it for 2010, see you in the future year of 2011!